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H. c. SPALDING.

3 VSheetsSheet 1.

Lighting Cities by Electricity.

yPatented Dec. 28, |880.

MFETERS. FHOTO-LITHOG'MPMER. WASHINGTON, D C.

1N o Model.) 8 Sneets-Sheet 2.4

H. C. SPALDING. Lighting Cities .by Electricity.

No. 23'5,9`13'. Patented Dec. 28,1880.-

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H. C. SYPALDING l lLighting,Cities by Electricity.

No.23'5,913. l Patented Dec.2s,1sso.

".FETEIS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

I Unirse STATES ATENT ritten@ HENRY C. SPALDING, 0F BLOOMFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

LIGHTING CITIES BY ELECTRICITY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 235,913, dated December 281, 1880,

Application tiled .Tune 19, 1880.

To all whom t may concern: I

Be it known that I, HENRY CURTIS SPALD- ING, of Bloomfield, in the county of'EsseX and State ot' New Jersey, have made an invention of certain new and useful Improvements in the Art and Means of Lighting Cities by Means ot Electricity; and 1 do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description and specification ot' the same.

. The object ot this invention is to light cities by means of electricity with economy and in such manner as to cast the least possible shadows from the buildings.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a plan of a town lighted upon my system.` Fig. 2 represents 'a side View of a single light-tower. Fig. 3 represents a central vertical section ot' a tower-lantern. Fig. 4 represents a horizontal section ot' a towerlantern at the line y y, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 represents a horizontal section of the same at the line a: 0c, Fig. 2.

i In order that a town or city may be properly lighted the atmosphere must be iiooded with such a quantity of light, irradiated in many directions, as to reduce to a minimum or practically prevent` the casting of shadows. I accompligh this object by the employlnent of groups ot' electric lights, each group consisting ot' a number of.' lights massed together, supported, by towers or other suitable means, at a high level, say from one hundred to two hundred feet, according to the height of buildings, so as to be above the houses, the several groups being arranged in such proximity to one another as to light the spaces intervening between them. I prefer to arrange the towers or other supports for the groups ot' massed lights in triangular groups ot not less than three towers, whereby the rays ot' light cast by the electric lights ot`` one tower are caused to cross angularly those cast by the remaining towers. Each light-tower supports a reecting-lantern containing electric lights, as hereinafter described. The height above the street at which these lanterns are supported causes the light to penetrate between the buildings; and in order that such penetration maybe enhanced I pret'er to arrange my lighttowers at the intersections ot' streets. This system is represented in Fig. 1, in which case (No model.)

seven lighttowers, A, are combined in a triangular system. Each light-tower A is arranged opposite the space between the other two, so that each three towers form a group, the members of which are at the apeXes of a triangle, (indicated by the broken lines A A, A A, A A.) By reason of this arrangement the rays of light proceeding from thelanterns of any one ot' the towers are crossed by the rays proceeding from the other two ot' the triangular group, as represented by the ne dotted lines, and consequently the objects beneath are lighted at different sides, thus diminishing the shadows to the lowest possible limit.

Each li ght-tower, as represented in detail at Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5, is composed of four tubular sectional posts, b, connected by means of horizontal braces c c d d el d and by diagonal screw tie-rods e, whose ends are passed through ears f, cast upon the posts, and are drawn taut bymeans of nuts applied to their screwed ends. In practice, the sections of the posts are made not less than twenty feet in length, and their ends are formed with lian ges, which are turned to tit each other, and are connected by means 4ot' screw-bolts.

Each light-tower supports an electric-light lantern, G, consisting ot' a gallery or door, h, surrounded by glass m, and inclosing` a group of electric lights, s. The lights are massed in a circular group, as represented in the drawings, and this group surrounds and is external to the frame or posts I) of the tower, so that these posts do not cast shadows. Each group is composed, by preference, of not less than twenty lights otl three thousand candlepower each, and the number may be increased as found expedient.

In order that the light which is radiated in an upward direction from the electric lights may not be lost, each group of electric lights is surrounded by a circular or conical reliector, g, projecting beyond the group of lights. This retlector, so arranged, intercepts the rising rays of light and reflects them angularly downward. Moreover, as each relector is combined with a group ot" lights, the rays are not only reilected downward in lines radiating centrally from the lantern, but are radiated in directions angular to such central radial lines, thereby reaching portions ot' the streets and houses which would not be reached if the en- IOO tire light of one lantern proceeded from a single central light.

In order that the lantern and reflector of cach tower may be protected from the weather, each lantern/is surmounted by a conical root', J,whose eaves n project over the rim of the reector g and protect it, as well as the lantern beneath it.

Access can be had to each lantern by means of ladders or stairs connected with the tower and leading to an opening in the bottom of the gallery forming the bottom of the lantern.

The electric lights may be of any approved construction, and may be supplied with electricity from generators arranged either in buildings adjacent to the tower or at a distance, the electricity being conducted to the lights by means of suitable conductors.

I claim as my invention- 1. The improvement in the art of lighting -each tower supporting a lantern containing a group of electric lights with suitable reilectors for deilecting and diffusing the light', substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereto set my 35 hand.

HENRY CURTIS SPALDING. Witnesses:

J. UoNvEnsE GRAY, Ronfr. J. TAYLOR. 

